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One Chinese judicial body has sentenced five prominent members of a notorious Myanmar mafia to capital punishment as Beijing maintains its campaign on fraudulent operations in South East Asia.

Overall, twenty-one Bai family members and associates were found guilty of scams, murder, assault and other crimes, stated a state media announcement released on the court website.

The family is among a handful of mafias that gained influence in the 2000s and transformed the underdeveloped isolated region of the town into a profitable hub of casinos and nightlife areas.

Over the past few years they turned to scams in which many of illegally moved individuals, a large number of them from China, are caught, harmed and forced to cheat targets in unlawful enterprises valued at billions of dollars.

Details of the Sentencing

Syndicate leader Bai Suocheng and his offspring Bai Yingcang were among the several figures condemned to capital punishment by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Another individual, Hu Xiaojiang and Chen Guangyi were the other three punished.

Two figures of the Bai family mafia were given delayed executions. Several were sentenced to permanent incarceration, while nine others were handed jail terms between several years to two decades.

The clan, who commanded their own militia, set up forty-one bases to accommodate their digital scam operations and gambling houses, officials stated.

Magnitude of Unlawful Activities

Such criminal enterprises entailed exceeding 29 billion Chinese yuan ($4.1bn; £3.1 billion). They also resulted in the deaths of six from China citizens, the self-inflicted death of one and multiple injuries, state media reported.

The strict penalties issued by the court are within the Chinese campaign to eradicate the large fraud rings in Southeast Asia - and issue a firm signal to further illegal syndicates.

Context of the Clans

Such groups rose to power in the recent decades with the help of a prominent figure - who now leads Myanmar's military government. He had intended to support allies in Laukkaing after replacing its former ruler.

Among the clans, the this family were "the most powerful", Bai Yingcang earlier stated to state media.

"At that time, the clan was the most powerful in each of the political and military circles," he said in a report about the clan, shown on national media in July.

In the same documentary, a worker at one of their scam centres recalled the harm he had experienced there: besides being hit, he had his fingernails yanked out with tools and a couple of his fingers severed with a blade.

Further Allegations

Bai Yingcang is among those who were condemned to death recently. The individual has also been separately found guilty of planning to trade and produce 11 tonnes of narcotics, state media stated.

Decline of the Groups

The families' fall happened in recent times as situations altered.

Over a long period Chinese authorities has encouraged the local government to control scam schemes in Laukkaing.

In 2023, the law enforcement issued legal actions for the most prominent members of such groups.

Bai Suocheng, the clan's leader, was among the individuals who were handed to China from Myanmar in early 2024.

For what reason is the authorities putting significant resources to go after the clans?" a expert said in the July film.

The purpose is to caution other people, no matter your position, your location, when you commit such serious offenses targeting the Chinese people, you will pay the price."